Real-time multi-user distributed applications, such as online multiplayer games, are becoming increasingly popular due to the proliferation of broadband Internet access. Even as online multiplayer gaming increases in popularity, there are still many drawbacks that need to be addressed. One of the major drawbacks relates to the network performance and data transfer speeds that may drastically influence the gaming experience.
Online multiplayer games allow players in widely distributed geographical locations to play the same game within the same game environment at the same time. The multiplayer feature allows players to enjoy interaction with other individuals, whether it is in the form of partnership, competition, or rivalry, and also provides players with a form of social communication. In a variety of different online multiplayer game types, players may individually compete against two or more human contestants, work cooperatively with a human partner(s) in order to achieve a common goal, supervise activities of other players, or engage in a game that incorporates any possible combination of the above.
Currently each online multiplayer game application deals with network performance such as network bandwidth. However, there can be limitations in the quality and bandwidth of networks established or used during the play in an online multiplayer game. These limitations may lead to delays in data transmission and thus cause slow or discontinuous animation of the gameplay. For example, in melee combat based games, when a first player attacks a second player, there can be latency in transmission of data from the first player computer to the second player computer, which may lead to an inconsistency in gameplay animation. The delayed animation may affect the timing of players' reactions. As a result, players may feel the game is unfair. For example, on the first player side, an avatar controlled by the first player may swing a club at an avatar controlled by a second player, before the avatar controlled by the second player was able to block the club with a shield. However, on the second player side, when the avatar controlled by the first player began swinging the club, the second player's avatar had already raised his shield, but was killed anyway, since on the first player side, he was still unprotected.
It is within this context that aspects of the present disclosure arise.